Schedule a Visit to Your School
Schedule us now! Bring representatives from the UVA Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program to your school in person or virtually via Zoom or MS Teams to present career opportunities to your rising high school juniors and seniors or a local community group. The Apprenticeship team is eager to present to individuals interested in developing a career in the skilled trades. Apprenticeship is a great way to begin or pivot to a career in a trade, a way to earn money while you learn a skill, and may even be a lucrative stop between high school and college. UVA Apprentices receive all the benefits of full-time University employees, as well as competitive pay during their four-year training program. After four years, apprentices have journey-level experience, are eligible to receive a trades-specific license (if applicable), and are qualified and able to perform trade-specific work without supervision. Email FM-Apprenticeship@virginia.edu to learn more.
Apprenticeship Program
Established in 1982, UVA Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program offers highly motivated individuals an opportunity to learn a skilled trade through a combination of on-the-job training, technical education, and classroom instruction in a four-year program.
The University's apprenticeship program was the first of its kind to be established by a state agency in Virginia and has been a model for other programs. In addition to the success and longevity of the program, Facilities Management is proud that many Apprentice Program graduates go on to make a career at the University.
Each year, approximately fifteen new apprentices are brought into the program, depending on prevailing business needs. Trades represented in our program include plumbing, electrical, carpentry, masonry, plastering, and HVAC.
Apprentices train on the job with licensed journeymen, mentors, supervisors and other colleagues who ensure the highest-quality facilities management for the University and the Health System.
Applicants must be able to meet the physical requirements for their prospective trades. They must be a high school graduate or hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate by their start date.
Advertisement and recruitment for the apprenticeship program is conducted annually in late winter. Interviews are conducted in the spring, and new apprentices begin onboarding in mid-summer, with classroom instruction beginning shortly thereafter.